Porch
by MogadorianWolf
Summary: Antone and Moreno building the porch at the end of the last book. A revised version from AO3


Porch

Moreno/Antone

"Here's a hammer." Antone slapped it into his partner's hand. "Now how about you show me how you're planning on hammering with one hand and drinking beer in the other."

"You're still mad at me?" Moreno said, holding the hammer out like it was diseased. "It's perfectly reasonable to teach your kids how to shoot, and _they_ came to _me_. Just think of how much better they'll be able to defend themselves; I'm increasing their defensive skills."

"You're not hammering," Antone reminded him as he straightened a board to do his own hammering. When Moreno didn't move, Antone glared at him, before letting out a sigh. He set down his hammer. "Yeah, I'm mad. They're my kids, Ki, and you know how the corpus works. You're teaching them how to kill. I don't want them to have to do that in the future.

Moreno moved beside Antone, setting his hammer down with a brief look of disgust. "Your kids can turn into big cats; knowing how to shoot isn't going to change what the Nasts want with them. We're not always going to be around to keep them safe. It's better to have them prepared than sheltered and 'protected.'"

Antone studied him for a moment. "You're still not hammering. In fact, you've put your hammer down, but managed to keep your beer."

Moreno made a face and then smirked as he ran a cool finger along Antone's collar. "I can think of better things to do than hammering. I'm sure you agree." To prove his point, Moreno tilted Antone's head back toward him and covered his lips with his own.

The kiss was sweet and gentle, and Antone gently sighed, leaning ever so slightly into Moreno. It was tempting to just give all the way in and put his arms around Moreno, but the point couldn't just be wiped away with a kiss. He gently pulled away, careful not to leave Moreno's space, "You can't just get away with a kiss, and it's more than just teaching them to shoot. You called them family, Ki. They don't even know about us. No one does." _And no one can._

Moreno shrugged and leaned back on his elbows, staying in Antone's space. It wouldn't take much to have him fully lying down on the half-finished deck—that seemed to be a part of his plan. For a moment, Antone was tempted to pursue it. He swiped the bottle of beer from Moreno's grasp instead and took a swig. Moreno just watched him, as the light from the sun played on Antone's dark skin.

"They're as close to family as I got, Cal. What's yours is mine, and whatever. Besides," He smirked triumphantly as he grabbed his beet back and teleported to the doorway. "Much more of this, and I don't think it'll remain a secret. Hey, maybe you can just have me over for one of your little family dinners and announce it. We can even plan a wedding while you're at it."

Antone glowered at him, but got up and moved inside with Moreno. "You're very good at getting out of what you don't want to work on."

Moreno gave him a sheepish smile. Antone teasingly trailed his hand down Moreno's arm. "Just imagine being out there with the stars, perfectly private. . ."

The look Moreno gave him, said he knew what he was up to, but there was a darkening in his eyes and a flush on his face that said it was working anyways. "I'm serious about telling the kids, Cal. Secrets have a way of coming out, and it could break their trust in you, trust me."

"You're the one who said we shouldn't tell anyone. Something about it coming back to bite us in the butt?" His voice came out quietly, almost a whisper.

Moreno put his beer on the table, his eyes not leaving Antone's. "I know. Those guys could turn on us in an instant, but these are your kids. You want to keep them close? You need to be honest. Besides you wanted to settle down; this is me settling down."

Antone smiled and twined a hand in Moreno's hair. "Does that mean you're going to officially leave behind the for-hire business? Move in, have the whole wedding image with a shared bed?"

Moreno laughed softly, taking a step away from Antone. "I'm not quitting. I can't. It's a for life kind of job. We're not going to have some fairy tale life; supernaturals never do. I can't—won't do anything to endanger you, Cal. Ever."

Antone pulled him back closer and kissed him softly, a promising kiss that could've so easily deepened. He pulled an inch back instead and whispered, "And what of sharing a bed? Is that completely off the list?"

Moreno smiled and kissed him back, "Well…" Another kiss. "that can be discussed." Another kiss. "I'm sure we can reach a-" Another kiss "-very reasonable compromise," Another kiss "maybe a schedule." Another kiss "Wouldn't want to be-" Another kiss "-accused of slacking on my job. That's just-" Another kiss "-bad for business."

"Mmm… And this isn't slacking."

Moreno touched his face as if Antone might vanish like a mirage, "Not at all. This is just part of one of the many contracts that currently employ me. Not slacking at all."

Antone laughed. He looked at the neglected hammers still on the porch with a sad little smile, "This porch really isn't getting done." He paused, and brightened, "But you know what? I think I've earned a break. You, on the other hand. . ."

Moreno glared at him. "Hey! I provided moral support."

Antone shrugged. "Moral support doesn't get the porch built any faster."

Moreno looked like he'd rather hammer Antone, but he teleported to the porch and picked up a hammer. "Happy? Look, I'm hammering a board." That was promptly followed by a series of curses as Moreno hammered his finger instead.

Antone laughed, shaking his head. He was content in this moment. Right now, he didn't need to think about the future, no jobs that went bad, no assassins on their tails or double agents. Just them and the porch being built.


End file.
